Where to start

[Spangler1992]

Hello all. Extremely new to woodworking and would like to learn fine woodworking, the problem is I am not very good at all. So far I have made a birdhouse and a squirrel feeder. Both to me look aweful (I suffer from perfectionalism). None of my cuts were the same lenght one board would be off a tad from the other one that is supposed to be the same size. All cuts were made on my dewalt 715 I just bought. I am afraid to try anything big like a work bench or bookcase as the wood can get expensive and I am afraid I will mess it up. I have looked for woodworking/carpentry classes in Jacksonville North Carolina as that is where I am stationed but there are none. I have also looked into apprenticeship but no luck as well. So where do I go from here to build my confidence to be able to make something nice eventually? I dont want to get discouraegd by putting out continually crappy products. My tool collection is pretty good as well. Recenly I inherited my grandfathers tools, I.E. table saw, drill press, scroll saw, bandsaw, lathe and various other hand tools both power/normal. What should my next step/project be?

[mikem]

Keep practicing! When making your crosscuts, are you doing them entirely by eye or are you using any sort of stop block? Getting very close by eye is possible, but there is always potential for a variance, such as the pencil line maybe off, or too thick, or whole variety of reasons. The best way to get consistent length cuts is to use a stop block that is clamped to either the saw or bench that you can hold the cut piece against while you are cutting. Also make sure you cut both ends to make sure they are both square.

Also, for those tools, since it sounds like they were all moved take some time to tune them all. This will make sure everything is aligned and square.

[Beechwood Chip]

I think there are two simple techniques that may solve most of your problems:

1. Relative dimensioning
2. Creeping up on the fit

Here's what that means. Let's say that you are making a bird-house and both sides should be 12" high. You cut one side 12". But you don't cut the other side to be 12". You put your ruler aside, put the first side up against the board. This is the "relative dimensioning" part. You don't really care that the sides are exactly 12", but you do care that they are the same. So, your ruler is the piece that you are trying to match.

Use your finger to tell if the two boards are lined at one end. Your fingers will detect very small differences. Make a mark to indicate how long the 2nd side should be, and put a squiggle to indicate the "waste side" of the cut. The first board will keep you from putting the squiggle on the wrong side. Everyone has accidentally cut on the wrong side of the line, so don't feel bad when it happens to you.

So, now you have a mark on your 2nd board that shows you how long it should be. It's time to do the "creeping up" part. You go over to your trusty DeWalt 715 (I like mine), and you cut about 1/4" longer, through the squiggle you made. Then, put the boards up against each other and look at the difference. Then go back to the saw and cut away about half of the difference, so it's still long. Repeat this process until you are just shaving off a tiny bit. Eventually, you'll get so close that you cut off a hair more and it's perfect, or if you are a perfectionalist, you can use some sandpaper to adjust it so they are exactly the same length.

What usually happens to me is that I think I'm cutting a bit long, but I screw up and cut more than I was planning, and it ends up fitting perfectly.

If you do happen to cut the 2nd side two short, just start trimming the first side (now the longer side) to match the 2nd. You should have completely forgotten about the "theoretical" length of the sides - the important thing is that they are both the same.

You do this with every cut: The back is the same height as the sides. The bottom is as wide as the back, and as deep as the sides. Everything is relative, and you just trim a little until everything matches.

Good luck, and have fun!

[harryangel69]

Practice, practice, practice

Invest in some mechanical pencils (not the smallest ones), a good quality square(not from a box store), and a folding rule. Cheap tape measures and squares will frustrate you to no end.

Don't give up. We all make mistakes, throw stuff, get angry, and frustrated. I was building cabinets as a teenager and the only guidance I had was The New Yankee Workshop and some books, and nobody ever makes a mistake there. Every time something went wrong it would be frustrating. Make several in a day would drive me insane.

The few teaching, confidence building sessions I have had with people consisted of buying some cheap 1x12s and cutting out usable parts, and taking a sheet or two of cheap particle board or MDF and building a bookcase. Just because it is cheap wood does not mean the techniques change. Marc uses a lot of solid exotics but most people are not that fortunate.

Practice, practice, practice

[jhl.verona]

I can feel your pain - I seem to have exactly the same techniques as you - no two pieces the same!

Perhaps trying your hand at a few boxes first? I think many people start that way, and it's the way I intend to move next. Boxes are really just small cabinets, so you can try all the joints, from butt to dovetails, even mortise and tenons.

You use less material, get to play with the grain, fit hinges, experiment with finishes, the works. Just on a smaller scale.

HTH

John

[Don Z.]

Jville? Doesn't MCCS have a wood shop on base? Track that down, and there will be PLENTY of people there to help...

Try this:

BUILDING 1249 BIRCH STREET EXTENSION

CAMP LEJEUNE, NC

TELEPHONE 910-451-5191

Hours of Operation:

Wed-Fri 1130-1930

Sat & Sun 0900-1700

Mon & Tue Closed

[jHop]

Best thing I can think of is to take your time. Followed by cutting things too large, so that you can sneak up on the fit. (this way you get to use those great hand tools you got.)

don't worry, i'm in that same boat with you (about the sizing, anyway). I have one table I made where three legs are the same height, and the fourth started too big and is now too short.